House measure raises hope for restarting work held up by sequestration

Wednesday’s vote by the House of Representatives to continue funding the federal government through September might restore some of the money the Navy was planning to spend on upgrading at least five warships in San Diego shipyards.

General Dynamics NASSCO and BAE Systems recently issued layoff warnings to 1,740 workers in their San Diego yards, partly because the budget was set to expire this month.

The Republican-led House measure appropriates $982 billion in funding for the next six months. The bill goes to the Senate, which could reduce that figure, although many senators say they want to ease defense cuts.

Across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration went into effect Friday. They’re expected to trim tens of billions of dollars in defense spending, and the Navy responded by delaying the deployment of two San Diego-based warships and other vessels.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, voted for the budget extension.

“This (continuing resolution) is a must for the San Diego ship industry,” he told U-T-San Diego.

“It’s critical and crucial, and even takes precedence over sequestration. ... Production, repair and modernization will be allowed to continue, while the constraints that were causing difficulties for San Diego’s ship industry and the Navy are lifted.”

The Navy announced last month that it planned, in part, to cope with the lack of a “continuing resolution” by delaying scheduled upgrades and repairs to five San Diego warships, saving $103 million. The Navy also said it planned to delay upgrades on three additional ships due to sequestration. Those cuts would save $72 million.

San Diego shipyards employ about 10,000 people, thousands of whom repair or modernize everything from aging frigates to modern destroyers and the newest littoral combat ships.